Light
by MusicLover315
Summary: Bucky left HYDRA, yet he still had a long way to go until he was free from their control. But none of that really mattered anymore. Why? Because now he had a light to guide the way. BUCKY x KAGOME
1. Chapter 1

**WHAAATTT?! Bucky and Kagome?!**

 **I know, right? ;)**

 **I have written so many Steve and Kagome oneshots, I felt as if I wasn't giving any attention to other characters, especially the one and only Bucky Barnes. And considering I love Bucky as a character and Sebastian Stan as a person, I absolutely had to do this...**

 **On the other hand, it's always the hardest to write for your favorite character. And DAMN was this hard to write. Seriously, I still feel like I'm butchering something here. But oh well I suppose. I wrote it anyways.**

 **This is going to be a two-shot (I know, you guys are so used to open-ended one-shots, but now you get an open-ended TWO-SHOT! You're welcome) so I will be posting the next chapter sometimes this upcoming week. So keep a eye out for that!**

 **I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Avengers or Inuyasha!**

* * *

Bucky didn't know what to think.

He's been sitting in the same spot for a good thirty minutes now, just staring at the woman who would have been his next target had he not left HYDRA. She was very small. That was the first thing he noticed about her when he found her familiar face in the nearly empty park. Small as she may be, however, Bucky knew to never underestimate an enemy.

But was she really an enemy?

Who was the real enemy?

Bucky shook his head to clear those vile thoughts from his mind. He was so tired of those thoughts: the thoughts that plagued his existence day in and day out and would follow him forever.

In fact, tired was an understatement. Bucky was exhausted.

He felt his already tense muscles ache as he watched the woman who was just sitting there in the grass, staring up at the early morning sky.

Bucky didn't really know why he was here. He didn't know why he felt the need to seek this woman out as he was no longer affiliated with HYDRA, the people who wanted her to begin with. If Bucky had to guess a reason, he would say it was because he was intrigued. Intrigued as to why such a small, innocent looking being would have caught the eye of people like HYDRA.

But that's ridiculous. Why should he be concerned with anybody other than himself at this point? He deserved to worry about himself for once. After all, who else was going to?

An image of blonde hair and blue eyes flashed through his head, but he shook that thought off as quickly as it appeared.

Once again, Bucky looked around his surroundings and found himself wondering why this woman was out here to begin with. It wasn't a very popular area of the park and even if it was, it was barely four a.m. so it was bound to be deserted anyways.

As if she read his mind, the woman's eyes casually traveled over to the bench he was sitting at on the other side of the trees dividing them.

He tensed. She couldn't possibly be looking at him. He hadn't made a single sound and he had made sure to pick a spot that was impossible for her to find him in unless she knew he was there.

So what was she looking at then?

He carefully reached up to pull his hoodie of his dark grey jacket over his head. He went rigid when he saw that she was moving to stand. He watched her with untrusting eyes as she pushed her long, ebony hair behind her before grabbing the bag she was using as a pillow off the floor and flinging it over her shoulder.

'Why am I here? I need to leave,' Bucky's thoughts raced, his Winter Soldier instincts pushing their way to the forefront of his mind.

However, Bucky had noticed that it wasn't the same as all those times before. He had become used having paranoia lurking over his shoulder every second of the day. And while he was still feeling a little bit of that same paranoia start to kick in, there was something else. Something that was holding him back. Something that was telling him that there was no reason to be scared, that he was safe.

It was this feeling of comfort and protection that kept him here. He can't remember the last time he felt anything like it. It was so…

Pure.

Yes, it felt pure. There was no danger concealing itself in the background. There was no ill-intent behind this incredible feeling.

This only managed to make Bucky's uncertainties even stronger. He felt so confused. More so than when his target had refused to fight him and instead told him that they had been best friends once. More so than each one of those times he woke up after _they_ wiped him.

Yet, despite all of this, he still wanted to figure it out. He wanted to understand why he was feeling this confusion, and this time, he wasn't scared of what was awaiting him in finding those answers.

For some reason, he felt as if this girl could only help him. She wouldn't hurt him. He didn't know why. He just knew.

So he didn't immediately leave when she made her way over to the bench he was sitting on. He simply watched her with calculating eyes as she walked with soft footsteps over to him and sat down on the bench next to his.

He raised a brow when she had pulled out a book, mentally questioning the small woman's intentions. Bucky's shoulders soon began to subconsciously relax. His back slouched over in the slightest way, something the naked eye probably would never even pick up on.

Still having a million questions racing through his mind regarding the dark-haired woman beside him, Bucky leaned back against the bench and the two fell into a deep silence.

It was a comfortable silence though. Something Bucky had quickly realized he forgotten existed until that very moment.

And to be quite honest, he kind of liked it.

* * *

In the eight years since she had returned from the past, Kagome had not once met a man quite like this one.

It had been two weeks since she had first sensed him spying on her while she was in the park, and ever since then, the two had developed a… routine if you will. Kagome would walk over to the park at 4:30 a.m. and sit down with her book until the man arrived at 5. They would then sit together in silence for a couple of hours until Kagome finished reading and left.

That was it. They just sat.

Most would have probably ran on the first day once they realized that a man of his size dressed in his attire was watching them through the bushes, but Kagome couldn't possibly do man may look a little scary to the average person, but Kagome really didn't think so. If anything, he looked lost. And that observation was only confirmed in her mind by the aura he was giving off. He seemed so misguided and confused, Kagome could really feel for the poor man.

And being the person that Kagome is, she decided on that very first day that she would find a way to help him. Even if that meant sitting next to him for a couple of hours each morning in the park in complete silence. After all, Kagome knew more than anyone that sometimes all one needs is a reassuring presence to rely on.

And Kagome was more than willing to be that presence for this poor, misguided soul.

As each day went by, Kagome had started to pick on on a few things about him. For one, she noticed how still he can become when he loses himself in thought. Her mind was able to produce a few explanations as to why that would happen, but none of them were good and all of them were things that she never wanted to believe. For the sake of not only him, but herself as well.

Another thing that she picked up on fairly quickly was how observant and skittish he was. Due to this, Kagome had made certain to maintain open body language. She kept herself like an open book at all times, only making sure to conceal the deepest parts of herself from him. She didn't want to throw him off in any way, because from what she can tell, she isn't the only one out of the two of them who knows how to read people.

The last thing she had realized over the last couple of weeks was that the man beside her was suffering. She could literally feel the intense longing and loneliness radiating from his muted aura. She had never really felt anything like it before. Maybe in a few older demons from the past, the ones who were the last of their kind and had nothing left for them in this world. But this wasn't the past and he was definitely not a demon. Demons were a rarity at best now after being nearly exterminated in the Demon War years ago, so she knew for a fact that wasn't the reason.

And it wasn't until about a week in that she was finally able to understand.

His name was James Buchanan Barnes and he had been an asset to HYDRA for over 80 years.

Kagome knew of HYDRA. She wasn't stupid or ignorant, despite what some may believe. She knew they were tailing her and she knew that they were planning something against her. So she could only assume that Bucky was initially sent after her to capture or kill her. In fact, she was probably his latest mission.

However, that never happened, and Kagome knew why. She knew that whatever they were using to keep the poor man on their side had finally failed them. She knew that this Bucky was on his own now, that he had left the people who had damaged him to what he probably felt was a point of no return. She knew that he was lost, alone, scared…

She knew everything. And she prayed with all of her heart and to all the gods she knew that her doing something as simple as sitting beside him for a couple of hours each day could help him. Even if it was just in the slightest. Anything she could do to guide this man onto the right track, she would gladly do. She knew what he was going through and she wanted to make sure he got the help he deserved.

So two weeks had gone by. Two weeks of silent looks over each other's shoulders. Two weeks of reading quietly in the middle of the deserted park in the early hours of the morning. Two weeks of embracing the oddly comforting presences of one another.

And it was after those two weeks that things began to change.


	2. Chapter 2

**Honestly, there was absolutely no reason for me not posting this chapter other than I got lazy.**

 **Like, I had it written, but for some reason I just did NOT want to edit and post it. Not ashamed of it or anything, just didn't want to. And for that I am truly sorry. I am sure you guys have been wanting this conclusion-ish chapter for a while now, so here you go!**

 **Now listed, I tend to write a lot of open-ended stuff. It's kind of my thing when I write one-shots. SO, I'm sorry if any of you hate me because I don't give it a definite ending. I just really like leaving things like this up for a bit of reader interpretation. It is a short-story after all, might as well spruce it up a bit right? Plus, I feel like drawing a definite conclusion after only one or two chapters (one-two shots) tends to make the story a bit tacky and cliched. I don't know, let me know what you guys think!**

 **So here we are! I hope you guys enjoy and if you have any suggestions for story ideas with Kagome, let me know!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Inuyasha or Avengers or Bucky Barnes (I wish) or anything MARVEL!**

* * *

"I really love watching the sun rise."

If Bucky hadn't been so well-versed in the art of concealing outward reaction, he probably would have leapt a good ten feet in the air. Never before in the past couple weeks of them meeting up had they ever spoken to each other. They just didn't. It was like an unspoken law. A law that she had just broken without so much as a second thought.

Bucky remained silent because truthfully, he didn't know how to respond. He was ashamed to say that she had caught him so off guard.

As the seconds ticked by, Bucky waited to see if maybe she would elaborate. After awhile without any explanation, however, he decided to take what could have either been a huge risk, or a large step forward in his process of 'recovery'.

"Huh?"

Just like Bucky, Kagome didn't show the shock she felt when he had actually responded to her. It might have taken a few minutes, but he still responded none-the-less.

Kagome smiled at the thought.

"I think it's the serenity of the quiet morning air mixed with the breathtaking color scheme. It's just so relaxing."

Bucky took a moment to really take in her words before nodding ever so slightly.

"Yeah, it's calming."

And then they were back to silence.

However, even as the two basked in the familiarity of their voiceless language, the only language they had been using to communicate for the past couple of weeks, they knew something had changed. It might have been small, but it was still there.

* * *

After that first week of quiet meetings, Kagome slowly began to rely more on verbal greetings when arriving at _their_ spot. Instead of a smile, she would give a quick "good morning" and instead of reading, she would ramble on about random, insignificant things. Things like how her week was going, what happened to her recently, and similar small-talk type of topics.

All the while, Bucky sat there quietly beside her, absorbing any and everything she said like it was the last thing he was going to hear. He couldn't help it. It had been so long since anybody had spoken to him like a human being; all he wanted to do was soak up the interaction while it lasted. Because there was no way that it was going to last. He knew more than anybody that the good things never last.

And this– talking to this woman– was a good thing.

It had been long enough for the doubts he had about the woman, who he had discovered was named Kagome, to disappear. If she wanted something from him, she would have taken it by now. If she wanted to hurt him, she would have done it by now. If she was going to turn him in, she would have by now.

But she didn't.

And for that, Bucky found himself slowly beginning to trust her. He was still wary around her and very cautious. It was nearly impossible for him to not be after all that's happened…

But everyone has to start somewhere. And that's exactly what Kagome was for him: his new start. He still wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with himself and wasn't completely sure of who was on his side, but at least now he had somewhere to start.

"I won't be here for the next couple of days."

Bucky froze. Without moving a muscle, his eyes shifted apprehensively towards the young woman sitting propped up against the front of the bench beside his, opting to sit on the grass instead of the bench itself. There hadn't been a single day in the past few weeks of meeting that either of them have missed, so hearing that she wouldn't be showing up for a few days threw Bucky off a bit.

It was quiet for a few moments.

"Why?" Bucky asked, his body still rigid. He had grown accustomed to their daily get-together's and found himself frustrated with how much this small adjustment in his schedule was bothering him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the way her expression dropped. He felt something in his stomach twist at the sight.

"I have to go home for a family visit."

Her words sounded forced, he noticed right away. Before his eyes even had the chance to narrow in suspicion, her head dropped and her body sagged in a manner that Bucky knew all too well.

Bucky felt that pit in his stomach begin to harden. His mind started racing with different possibilities as to what reasons Kagome, the bright, radiant Kagome that has helped guide him through so much shit over the past few months, could possibly have to express _that_ look.

And then a strange urge washed over him. It was something he hadn't felt in such a long time, it seemed almost foreign to him.

It was the urge to protect her. The urge to make sure that whatever was causing her so much grief never touched her again.

Bucky tensed at the feeling. This was dangerous territory he was treading through. He might be a bit lost in terms of understanding his past, but one thing he knew for sure was that breaking off from HYDRA the way he did put a huge target on his back. Anybody even somewhat associated with him would be no more than a stepping stone in the way of finding HYDRA's "most valuable asset". Bucky knew Steve could handle himself and even if he couldn't, he was a part of a team who had his back. Kagome on the other hand?

Bucky mentally cringed. He couldn't even begin to imagine what they would do to her if they found out about her.

The innate instinct to protect what was close to him flared at the thought and he found himself speaking without a second thought.

"No."

Kagome's eyes widened at his gruff voice.

Her eyes then swiftly narrowed in the slightest, leaving Bucky to immediately regret his thoughtless course of action.

"What do you mean, no?" she asked with the same softness her voice always held, only Bucky knew better. Laced into her natural air of trust and understanding was a hint, just a hint, of curt reprimanding. This made Bucky wince, although he really had no idea why. All he knew was that he said something he shouldn't have and should have kept his mouth shut.

Shaking his head, he turned away from her and mumbled out a low "never mind".

Kagome looked at the man as he lowered his head like a child being scolded by their parent. She sighed. Whether he meant for it to come off the way it had or not, the innocence behind the gesture was still there and despite her unwillingness to have yet _another_ person stake claim on her in that oh-so-possessive fashion she was unfortunately used to from the demonic feudal era, her frustration died down at the look on his face.

He looked so dejected. Of course, he tried hiding it, but she saw through the mask. She saw Bucky for all he was and she felt such a deep level of understanding for him that she couldn't possibly be angry over his decision to speak up for the first time since she had met him. She could clearly see that he had grown attached to her over the course of their time spent together, and if she were being completely honest with herself, she had grown quite fond of him as well.

And it was for that reason that she decided to be the one to apologize.

"I'm sorry Bucky," she said softly, scooting closer to his bench by a few inches. She moved slowly as to not startle her companion, making noises to let him know of her movements. While he refused to turn back to her, she knew he was listening so she continued. "I just… I really need to do this. It's been awhile since I've last seen them."

He nodded after a few moments and Kagome knew that they were good once again. She didn't even need to ask.

After a small bout of silence, Bucky had slowly inched back into his original front-facing position and Kagome had somehow managed to scoot her way over to the front of his bench without any reaction out of him.

"So," her voice was sudden, making Bucky aware of how close she now was to him. They had never been so close before, but he'd be lying if he said he minded. "How has your week been?"

His whole body relaxed. And not just his usual 'not-so-tense' type of relaxed he usually felt around her. No, he actually felt calm. For the first time in years, he felt at peace, and it was all because of her. It was in that moment that Bucky realized something important.

He realized how much he truly cared about Kagome.

He looked over her petite figure by his feet, causing his face to soften a bit. Yeah, he really cared about Kagome. He hated to admit it, but it was true.

He vowed right then and there that he would never let anything happen to the beautifully complex enigma sitting in front of him. Even if she told him she never wanted to see him again, he would continue watch after her. He didn't care if it was from the sidelines or not.

He would protect his new light and there was nothing anybody could say or do to stop him.


End file.
